The Enigmatic Antarctic Ningen

Welcome to season two of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Jamie Reynolds. He's supposed to testify against Max. And then he goes missing two days before the trial starts. Oh, nothing's to do with me. You're lying, Max. Do this again? People I care about. Stop pushing people away. Why couldn't you just leave everything on? What if I'm not good enough? The new series of A Good Girls Guide to Murder. Watch on BBC iPlayer. Stories of monsters lurking within the world's oceans are nothing new, having persisted in folklore and maritime tradition for centuries. In previous episodes, including our sister series Wartime Stories, we have examined some of the most notorious examples. Yet despite centuries of exploration. remains one of the least understood environments on Earth. Vast stretches of the ocean floor have never been seen by human eyes. Perhaps it should come as no surprise then. that some still believe unimaginable things may be hiding down there. within a cold and unforgiving realm. Known simply The Leviathan. If you have been a subscriber or even a casual consumer of our content, then you have almost certainly encountered stories involving alleged sea monsters before. Perhaps the most infamous example we have covered to date is the tale of Captain Gunther Kreck and the crew of the Imperial German submarine UB-85. On the thirtieth of april nineteen eighteen were rescued by the Royal Navy after being discovered adrift off the coast of Belfast. According to the story that would later circulate among sailors and maritime enthusiasts, informed his captors that his crew had fallen victim to a monstrous creature. The entity was said to have climbed onto the bow of the submarine whilst it lay motionless on the surface, its lookout scanning the horizon for potential targets. Although the crew eventually succeeded in driving the creature away, it allegedly caused substantial damage to one of the vessel's forward hatches in the process. Unable to stem the flow of seawater flooding into the submarine. Creck and his men were ultimately forced to abandon UB-85 before being captured sometime later by British forces. The story made the rounds for almost a century before entering the wider public consciousness in twenty sixteen. Divers surveying underwater power cables located the wreck of the long lost submarine. Almost overnight, the tail of a German U boat supposedly sunk by a sea monster became a global media sensation. Another incident which would prove equally intriguing centred upon the discovery of a shark tracking device on a remote Australian beach in 2003. The beachcomber who recovered the tag handed it over to the authorities, unknowingly triggering a mystery that continues to generate debate to this day. Researchers confirmed that the device had originally been attached to a large great white shark known as Alpha. Whilst the loss of the tag was not unusual in itself, The data it contained painted a far more disturbing picture. According to the information recovered from the device, it appeared as though the shark had been seized by a much larger predator. and dragged rapidly into deeper water. Temperature readings also showed a sudden increase consistent with the tag entering the digestive tract of a much larger animal. Moments later, the device plunged nearly 2,000 feet towards the seabed, before eventually resurfacing months later on the Australian coastline. Ever since, commentators have speculated about what kind of predator could overpower and consume a fully grown great white shark. an animal widely regarded as one of the ocean's ultimate apex predators. As fantastic as these stories may sound, What makes them particularly compelling is that they are supported to varying degrees by witness testimony, physical evidence or both. The same can be said of the accounts we are about to examine. Stories which suggest that the vast oceans upon which humanity depends may still conceal mysteries every bit as frightening by our ancestors. Nearly a century before the loss of UB85 in the waters off the coast of Ireland, another deeply unsettling incident was said to have taken place in the same region. Sometime during February of eighteen seven. A Canadian transport ship travelling between Rhode Island and Galway encountered the drifting wreck of another vessel. The ship in question was a bark named the Quebec Trader. crewed by a small group of sailors under the command of Captain Thomas Clearly. As the vessel approached the western shores of Ireland, Clearly was seated in his cabin when an urgent knock sounded at the door. Emerg onto the deck moments later. he was informed that another ship had been sighted nearby. One which appear to have been abandoned. Crossing the deck. and accepted a telescope from the lookout and raised it to his eye. Through the shifting sea mist, he could just make out the outline of another vessel. It was a sailing ship of roughly similar size to their own. Rolling gently upon the swell. with no obvious sign of life aboard. Her sails hung loose and tattered from the rigging. occasionally stirring whenever they caught the breeze. Scattered across the deck were various items of debris and discarded equipment. Yet nowhere could a crewman be seen. No signal flanks had been raised, and no crewmen appeared to acknowledge their approach. Banned by maritime law and the longstanding obligation to render aid wherever possible. clearly ordered the Quebec trader brought to a halt and instructed a boarding party to be assembled. A short time later, six sailors led by his first mate, Thomas Wilson, climbed into a small cutter and began making their way towards the drifting hull. Standing at the rail of his own ship clearly watched as the boat drew alongside the wreck and the men prepared to board. The first sailor to climb over the stern rail was Wilson. Pulling himself up onto the deck. He immediately turned and reached down to help the next man up behind him. But no sooner had he done so Than a vast and unnatural shape. suddenly rose up from the deck behind him. apparently noticing the shadow that had fallen across him. Wilson glanced over his shoulder and froze. cry of horror rang out across the water. Barely had the scream escaped his lips before the creature lunged forward and seized him in its jaws. clearly would later describe the monster as a gigantic sea serpent, measuring more than 60 feet in length. Each fold of its body was said to be longer than a man, whilst its immense girth measured somewhere between 9 and 12 feet across. Its scales were glossy black in colour. Its eyes are vivid crimson. Beneath its jaws there hung a strange throat sack. that seem to shimmer with faint blue and green hues. As the beast tore into the unfortunate Wilson. The remaining members of the boarding party needed no further encouragement. abandoning all thoughts of investigating the wreck. They pushed away from the vessel as quickly as they could and rode frantically back towards the Quebec trader. Within minutes they were scrambling aboard their own ship, where a stunned and horrified crew had gathered to await their captain's orders. Unable to locate the creature amongst the wreckage of the abandoned vessel. clearly ordered that the small cannonette they carried aboard be brought up onto the deck and made ready to fire. A single round slammed into the stern of the derelict ship. Almost immediately an enormous shape erupted into view. The serpent reared high above the deck and let out a shrill, almost unnatural shriek in the direction of the impact. For a brief moment it remained fully visible, before snaking rapidly across the vessel. sliding over the rail and vanishing beneath the waves. Determined to discover what had become of the missing crew, clearly ordered the Quebec trader brought closer and armed himself with a pistol before leading a second boarding party across to the wreck. Their search revealed no trace of the vessel's sailors. Thomas Wilson, only his hat remained, lying abandon upon the deck where it had fallen during the attack. According to the account, clearly later reported the incident. He speculated that the creature had likely been attracted by the missing crew. Bodies he believed it had consumed before making the abandoned vessel its temporary lair. In his view, the arrival of Wilson and the boarding party had simply disturbed a predator that had already claimed its victims. No trace of the mysterious vessel was ever found. nor were there any further reports of similar attacks in the years that followed. At least not in this part of the world. 91% of dog owners say their dog is an important member of the family. 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Determined to keep his men occupied during the unwanted delay. Captain John Magnus Dens ordered a thorough cleaning of the vessel's hull. A makeshift scaffold was erected along the waterline, allowing sailors to descend over the side and scrape away the marine growth that had accumulated beneath the surface. For most of the day, the work proceeded without incident. But as evening approached and the last traces of sunlight began to fade, Den's ordered the scaffold dismantled and the men brought back aboard. Moments later. The silence was shattered by screams. Reaching the guardrail The captain looked down and was met by a sight so extraordinary that he would later struggle to adequately describe it. A huge tentacle thicker than a man's torso had emerged from the sea and wrapped itself around two sailors still working upon the scaffold. The men struggled desperately against its grip. the cry shattering the stillness around the ship. This prompted a third crewman to climb down in an attempt to help them. Before he could reach his companions, however, Another tentacle rose from the depths and began snaking its way up the side of the ship towards him. Realising the danger, the sailor turned to retreat. Only for the limb to coil around his waist and begin dragging him towards the water. Den's reacted immediately. Cutlasses and whaling harpoons were brought up from below decks, as sailors rushed to aid their trapped shipmates. Harpoons were hurled downwards, whilst others hacked frantically at the writhing limbs clung to the hull. Then a third tentacle appeared. Rising over the rail It swept across the deck as though attempting to drive the crew back from the rescue efforts. Sailors armed with axes and hatchets attacked it at once. After a furious struggle, The limb was finally hacked apart. the severed section thrashing violently over the planks. For a brief moment, it seem the attack might be beaten back. two sailors upon the scaffold remain trapped. Then The creature revealed itself. From beneath the hull there slowly emerged an immense shape unlike anything the men had ever seen. At its center opened a single enormous eye. said to have been as large as a carriage wheel. Below it sat a vast curved beak. that opened and closed with slow, deliberate movements. The sailors could do little but watch in horror. as the tentacle holding their companions began drawing them steadily down towards the waiting moor. Within moments, both men had disappeared beneath the surface. A fountain of water erupted from the sea as the creature submerged once more. Carrying its victims into the depths. The night that followed was one of fear and apprehension. Expecting the beast to return at any moment, the crew maintained a constant watch until dawn. By morning tragedy had struck again. The sailor who had been rescued from the creature's grasp died in his sleep, either from injuries sustained during the attack or or from some unknown effect caused by contact with the beast itself. Several weeks later, when the anchor troll finally returned to Copenhagen, Captain Dens recounted the incident to his shipping agent. Anticipating disbelief, he invited the man aboard and led him down into the hold. There, inside a large wine barrel. lay the severed portion of tentacle recovered during the attack. According. The grisly specimen was as thick as the ship's misen mast, and lined with suckers wider than the mouth of a dinner spoon. News of the encounter quickly spread throughout the maritime community. creating understandable disquiet amongst sailors operating along the West African coast. And remarkably It would not be the last time such a creature was reported. Three years after the encounter abound the anchor troll, another vessel would reportedly meet a similarly bizarre fate thousands of miles away in the Bay of Bengal. Shortly before sunset on the tenth of may eighteen seventy four, The steamer Strathowin was travelling east of Sri Lanka when Lookout spotted another ship apparently in distress. As the vessel altered course to investigate, observers reported seeing the stricken craft collide with some unidentified object in the water, before abruptly coming to a halt. Upon reaching the scene, the crew of the Strathoen succeeded in recovering several survivors. amongst them the captain of the damaged vessel. Schooner named the Pearl. Whilst receiving treatment for minor injuries, Captain James Floyd recounted the extraordinary sequence of events that had led to the destruction of his ship. According to Floyd, the pearl had been sailing from Mauritius to Rangoon. the crew observed a large dark mass float upon the surface directly ahead of them. Believing it to be nothing more than a patch of seaweed or a shoal of fish, Floyd ordered the vessel to maintain its course rather than lose valuable time sailing around it. The decision proved disastrous. The moment the schooner struck the obstruction, it shuddered violently and came to an immediate stop. Curious as to what had halted their progress, several sailors gathered along the rail to inspect the object more closely. One suggested that it might be a whale resting near the surface. Annoyed at the prospect of his voyage being delayed by some marine animal, Floyd retrieved a rifle from his cabin and fired several rounds into the dark mass. The object reacted instantly. What had initially appear to be a single shapeless body suddenly began to move. Long dark appendages emerged from beneath the surface, and slowly extended outwards around the hull of the pearl. Within moments the schooner found itself completely encircled. as the crew watched in mounting alarm. The limbs tightened. A strange cracking sound echoed through the vessel as timbers groaned under the pressure. Then without warning. A number of enormous tentacles rose over the sides of the ship and seized two sailors, pinning them against the masts. The remaining crew attacked the limbs with knives and axes, but their efforts appeared to have little effect. The creatures' skin was described as being so thick and resilient that their blades struggled to penetrate it. Then came a louder crack. torrent of seawater burst up from below decks as the hull. finally gave way. Realizing the pill was doomed, the surviving sailors threw themselves overboard and struck out into the open sea. Looking back as they swam. They watched in horror as additional tentacles emerge from the depths and wrapped themselves around the schooner. Moments later, the vessel was dragged beneath the surface. The survivors were ultimately rescued by the crew of the approaching Strathowin. After hearing Floyd's account and receiving similar testimony from the other sailors. The captain ordered a sear for the two missing crewmen. Darkness had already begun to fall across the bay. and no trace of either man could be found. News of the incident quickly spread throughout the region. For many readers, the story was little more than a sailor's tale. Others, however, were reminded of older maritime legends that spoke of colossal creatures lurking beneath the waves. creatures that local folklore referred to as the Timingala. A monstrous predator said to possess an insatiable hatred of both mankind. and the ships upon which they sailed. When people look at bedtime stories today, they see the finished. What they don't see are all the years of uncertainty that came before it. When I started there were a thousand questions running through my mind would anyone listen? the stories connect with people. Was I investing countless hours into something that was ultimately going nowhere. Every day seemed to bring a new challenge. And suddenly I find myself wearing ten different hats at once. That's why I understand how intimidating it can be to build something from scratch. For millions of businesses, Shopify helps make that process a lot easier. Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world, and 10% of all e-commerce in the United States. Whether you're launching a new brand or growing an existing one, Shopify gives you everything in one place. 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The creature has become known as the Ningan. a name derived from the Japanese word for human. Reports of its existence first began circulating widely during the early years of the twenty first century. Primarily amongst fishing crews and researchers operating in the frigid waters surrounding Antarctica. Descriptions vary considerably. Some witnesses claim the creature resembles an enormous whale like animal with pale skin and rudimentary limbs. Others describe a distinctly humanoid figure, measuring as much as ninety feet in length, possessing two arms, two legs. and a vaguely human hand. In almost every account, however, One detail remains consistent. creature is said to be completely white. The environment in which these sightings occur only adds to their unsettling nature. Antarctica remains one of the most inhospitable places on Earth. Vast expanses of ice stretch uninterrupted to the horizon. During the winter months, darkness can linger for weeks at a time. Even modern ships operating in the region often find themselves isolated hundreds of miles from the nearest human settlement. It was against this backdrop. That one of the most widely circulated Ningen encounters supposedly took place. According to the account, a crew operating in Antarctic waters noticed what appear to be a large object floating some distance from their vessel. At first they assumed it was merely a section of drifting ice. Such sites were commonplace in the region. and the object attracted little attention. But as the ship gradually closed the distance, several crew members began to realize something was wrong. The shape lack, the sharp angles and irregular contours normally associated with an iceberg. Instead it appeared smooth, rounded. Organic. Then It moved. What had initially seemed to be an inert mass slowly rolled within the water, exposing a pale underside to those watching from the deck. As the object shifted. Witnesses claim they became aware of elongated limbs extending from either side of its body. Some described seeing arms. Others insisted they could make out the shape of legs. One thing all reportedly agreed upon was that whatever they were observing did not resemble any known animal. For several moments, the crew simply watched. Then, as quietly as it had appeared, The object slipped the surface. No splash follows. No disturbance of water. The immense white form simply faded from view. beneath the dark Antarctic Sea. While skeptics have suggested that sightings of this nature are likely the result of misidentified whales, unusual ice formations, or optical distortions caused by weather conditions, similar reports would continue to emerge over the following years. Some described enormous humanoid shaping beneath the ice. Others claim to have observed pale figures briefly beside their vessels before disappearing again into the depths. handful of photographs and videos have also circulated online. Although none ever been independently verified. Unlike the Kraken, the Timingala, or the countless sea serpents of maritime folklore, The Ningan is rarely described as aggressive. There are no stories of ships being dragged beneath the waves or sailors being snatched from their decks. In many ways that may be why the stories have persisted. People who claim to have seen the Ningan rarely talk about fear in the usual sense. Instead they describe an odd feeling they struggle to explain afterwards. It wasn't the sense that they had stumbled across some unknown animal. It was the feeling that for a brief moment. They had crossed paths with something that was already aware of them. Whether that impression came from an actual encounter or simply from the isolation and uncertainty of the Antarctic environment is impossible to say. But it remains one of the most common details in accounts of the mysterious white figure. Said to roam those frozen waters. Nearly every seafaring culture possesses its own tales of enormous serpents glimpsed from the decks of trading vessels. Countless maritime legends tell of ships attacked by giant squid or octopi. creatures that would eventually become synonymous with the name Kraken. There have also been reports of enormous carcasses washing ashore in remote parts of the world. alongside whales and dolphins bearing strange wounds that some observers have attributed to colossal teeth. Tentacles. Whether these accounts represent misunderstood natural phenomena or something far more unusual remains a matter of debate. Today we live in an age where artificial intelligence can generate convincing footage of sea monsters within seconds, and where photographs and videos can be manipulated with alarming ease. Eyewitness testimony challenged and almost any claim dismissed as a hoax. But such technology did not exist during the 19th century, when many of these stories first emerged. The captains who reported these encounters were often respected professionals, whose reputations were every bit as valuable as their ships. Fabricate such an extraordinary tale risk ridicule, professional ruin. and the loss of future employment. And yet the stories persisted. If these vessels were not attacked by some form of unknown marine predator, Then what alternative explanation are we left with? Why do so many accounts, separated by oceans and generations, describe creatures of such remarkable size and similar appearance? Perhaps there is a perfectly rational answer. Or perhaps there are still things inhabiting the depths that humanity has yet to properly understand. If so How many sailors have vanished after encountering them? How many ships have disappeared without explanation? Their final moments known only to the sea itself were before slowly sinking into the darkness below. Lost forever. Beneath the waters. that rest above.